Political Persuasion - Finanziamento dell’Unione Europea – NextGenerationEU – missione 4, componente 2, investimento 1.1.

Over the last decades, the digitalization of information and the rise of social networks have drastically changed communication. This is particularly true in politics. Politicians can now reach a large part of the electorate through direct, unmediated messages over social media. Traditional media adapted providing information in real time on their digital outlets. Citizens have become information providers themselves by generating and sharing news. The increase in the flow of information made it hard to verify their accuracy. This increased the scope for fake news and gave information providers (whether media or politicians) more opportunities to steer voters’ beliefs in their preferred direction. How did these changes affect the quality of information, the voters’ beliefs about key political issues, the degree of polarization in the electorate, and, ultimately, the quality of political decision making? The answer to this question is fundamental to guarantee a well-functioning democratic process. In this research project, we will address this issue by studying political persuasion, the factors that enable it, and its implications on the ability of voters to hold politicians accountable and to limit their extractive behavior. Our project will develop along three complementary research lines